Wonkette
The Summer of Celebrity/News Death continues! Don Hewitt, the guy who created famous old-people program 60 Minutes, is dead at 86. He, like all people who died this summer and got obits in the NYT, is/was a legend. Legend of what, you ask? TeeVee! Before this guy, we hear, there was no such thing as the TeeVee News Magazine. We don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing — well, on second thought, it was probably a bad thing. The television news killed the important newspaper industry, remember? And now look where we are! [CBS News]
AARP just keeps losing members…
Ah, Sunday evenings as a kid, which should’ve been nice & relaxing, stuffing my face with fried shrimp, were instead the most depressing time of the week, as my parents insisted on having 60 Minutes on, with its usual tales of greed and depravity. The only good thing to come out of this show was Martin Short on SNL, with the impossibly long cigarette ash, nervously trying to deny allegations of wrongdoing.
If he were British he would be dead.
hobospacejunkie: my parents insisted on having 60 Minutes on, with its usual tales of greed and depravity.
And *shudder* Andy Rooney.
60 Minutes helped make me the annoying pedant that I am. Thank you Don Hewitt. And having Lara Logan on has finally atoned for the weekly horror of seeing Andy Rooney’s eyebrows.
This bastard did grievous insult to the glorious American tobacco industry, and for that I hope he rots in hell.
Sometimes the alt text is the best part of the post…and I agree, too bad.
What is it this summer? The Rapture?
At least he could die with the deep satisfaction of having known that his efforts were instrumental in bringing us the sound byte, the success of telegenic politicians, and ultimately, The Glenn Beck Program.
The real mystery of “60 Minutes” is: how old is Mike Wallace, and how long can they keep him working? Chris Wallace’s kids are going to be VJs before Mike packs it in.
Lascauxcaveman: It’s Oldster Pride day here on the Wonkett. Before Andy Gooney, there were James Kilpatrick and Shana Alexander, shooting soundbites at each other. Andy’s better than that, if you can believe it.
I blame him for Chris Wallace.
Andy Rooney’s really broken up - he remembers the day Don was born.
ella: What is it this summer? — If word leaks out that Sarah Palin’s Facebook postings are actually being ghosted by Lynn Vincent the features editor of Christian magazine World, the woman Palin picked to “help” her write her book for HarperCollins, will Palin die of embarrassment?
I worked for Hewitt’s wife, Frankie, years ago at Ford’s Theatre. All I can safely relate to you from that experience is that Don Hewitt was an even more courageous man than anybody thinks.
Lascauxcaveman: … its usual tales of greed and depravity.
And *shudder* Andy Rooney.
But you repeat yourself.
I’m still in shock about Jim Dickinson.
V572625694: Before Andy Gooney, there were James Kilpatrick and Shana Alexander,
Oh yes, I remember Shana. She was kinda hot, in a schoolteacher/libraian kinda way. In my post puberty teevee watching years, that was right about when my conversion from respectable Nixonian cloth-coat Republican to librul started. I think Shana had something to do with that.
I remember that Dali painting giving me nightmares as a child.
Cape Clod: “I remember that Dali painting giving me nightmares as a child.”
But enough about Andy Rooney’s eyebrows.
Yeah, Hewitt invented it… except that he admits he stole the whole concept from Edward R. Murrow’s cave paintings.
V572625694: Ah, Point/Counterpoint. I had forgotten about that, but it was ultimately a good thing, since it led directly to Dan Ackroyd saying “Jane, you ignorant slut”.
Bob Novak, Don Hewitt–it’s perfect, in a Yin and Yang kind of way.
ella: No — Pat Robertson still slithers among us.
How did they cover Michael Jackson’s death for 500 hours straight before the teeveee?
Wouldn’t it be funny if nobody at all died in 2010?
Capitol Hillbilly: damn straight.
We are supposed to hate Andy Rooney, right?